Qatar: Concern over fighting near a disputed town in Somalia’s northern breakaway region of Somaliland, where at least 34 people were killed in hostilities, has been raised by Qatar, Somalia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Since the end of last year, tensions have increased in Lascanood between Somaliland and the local clan troops, and fierce violence has broken out all around the town, which sits on a major commerce route. “The partners expressed concern about the ongoing conflict in and around Lascanood and called on all parties to adhere to the ceasefire, de-escalate, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and engage in constructive and peaceful dialogue,” the six countries said in a joint statement released by the US State Department.

Fighting surrounding the town broke out as elders in three Somaliland provinces, including Sool Province, where Lascanood is situated, declared their desire to rejoin Somalia and published a declaration vowing support for the federal government of Somalia. 4.5 million people live in the region of Somaliland, which declared its independence from Somalia in 1991.

Yet, despite the fact that Somaliland prints its own money, issues its own passports, and chooses its own government, its bid for statehood has gone unrecognised, leaving it impoverished and isolated globally. Somaliland’s government declared a cease-fire, although both parties in the war accused one another of breaking it.

The UN stated last week that more than 185,000 people had been forced from their homes as a result of the fighting, and relief workers were finding it difficult to respond to the crisis due to a lack of resources. According to a statement from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, women and children made up an estimated 89 percent of the displaced population. As per the reports, many people were looking for cover under trees or in closed schools.

In addition to those displaced within Somaliland, more than 60,000 people have also fled the violence and entered Ethiopia’s Somali region, according to the UN’s refugee agency. Mr.Volker Turk, the UN’s human rights official, said that the fights exacerbated the already precarious humanitarian situation in the area and urged authorities to launch a “serious and impartial investigation” into them.

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